Pros: Widely available, refreshing, smooth, easy to drink.
Cons: No real dryness, pretty simple and straightforward. As import too expensive.
The Bottom Line: In my case this was about the best beer available on the night. Does its job as a summer thirst quencher. However too straightforward, and expensive to encourage future drinking.
Here we were at the Greek Theater in LA for the “Brotherly Love” trio, Spacehog, Oasis and Black Crows. I was actually only there to see Oasis, although I won’t say anymore as my wife wrote a review (the link is at the bottom of this page).
My first instinct was to check out the concessions. Wisely, as you’ll discover, we had taken in a couple at Boardners, The Cat and Fiddle and The Pig and Whistle, so I was a little buzzed in advance. So past a couple of vendors, there was the real oasis of the venue, the beer stand. Now not expecting too much at these things, all I noticed was a $5.50 Domestic sign. Beyond there, and a little closer to our seats, was a mini bar cart, which I thought I’d try in search of something more micro, if not Sam Adams.
Well what do you know? They had a couple of imports, Foster’s and Corona, but very little in the way of variety. What about us ale drinkers? These tickets were the cheap ones at $55; you could at least offer me a little variety in beer. Oh well undeterred by the $10 price tag, it was one of those large 26oz oil cans, I decided I’d take the Foster’s.
How not to serve a Foster’s
Having selected my brew the guy passed the can to his assistant, to be transferred to the safety of a plastic cup. While fiddling around for my ID, I watched in horror as a 20oz cup of foam overpoured onto the counter. I paid, unwisely, and quickly grabbed the can before any more harm could be done. “Erm, you can’t take that can with you Sir.” I had to laugh: “Don’t worry, I just want to the pour the rest myself”. So a couple of mouthfuls of foam later I was able to complete the pour and find my seat.
A little background
Before I tell you my assessment of the beer, let me give you a few of the corporate facts, which I found on their website. Note it’s not the website that epinions links to which is still under construction. If you want to read more you should check: www.fostersbeer.com
Originating in Melbourne, the Foster’s Brewing Company dates back to 1888. Irish brothers from New York, William and Ralph Foster established the company, brewing Australia’s first bottom fermented lager. Due to a lack of capital the brothers didn’t hang around too long, selling the company after a few years and returning to the States. Foster’s is now part of Carlton & United Breweries Ltd, one of the largest brewing companies in the world.
A few facts about Foster’s are pretty impressive:
- The third most widely distributed beer brand in the world
- Fastest growing international lager
- Retail sales are over 6 billion dollars
- Largest selling beer in London (1 in 5 British adults drink Foster's every week)
Back to the Greek Theater
Sitting back in my seat I had been a little annoyed by the beer selection, the price and the pour, but it was sunny and I was in a good mood. I’ve already said enough about the pour; it is a little lively, while the beer sits light golden beneath a pure white head.
The aroma is very clean, nothing notable, but hinting towards a sweet brew. It’s nicely light, smooth and foamy on the palate, while the flavor is a distinctive sweet maltiness. This can be a bad thing in many cheap lagers, but Foster’s manages to stay relatively light and refreshing. I did also detect a hint of dryness, although very briefly, in the finish.
The Verdict
Foster’s is quite simply a cheap mass-produced lager. It does very little to challenge the taste buds. However for the situation it worked very well, pleasing to taste, easy to drink, and it was cold. For the early evening sun, it proved to be nicely refreshing and I enjoyed my Foster’s at that time.
However I would probably not pick out this beer again unless, as I was then, forced to by choice. It works, it does the job, but it’s nothing to get excited about. The lack of dryness meant that more than one of these might have been a little too much. I actually switched to another brew afterwards.
In general, lagers are of standard style, and somewhat uncomplicated. However there are many good lagers, Sam Adams, Pilsner Urquell, St.Pauli, Becks, Bohemia, Negra Modelo are widely available to name a few. Personally I’d place Foster’s somewhere around the middle, better than Bud, Coors, Miller, Corona, or Moosehead, but not even close to the comparison of a pilsner. Sadly, this beer is not worth the price of an import, you can certainly spend your money a little more wisely.
If you want to read about the concert here's the link to my wife's review:
http://andaryl.epinions.com/content_1522638980
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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